Socca

This is a new recipe for me, I was going for more healthy.

I made Socca for the first time the other day and my conclusion is mixed.  It is a flatbread made using chickpea flour and I was anticipating something along the lines of my Mom’s delicious focaccia except healthier.  My Mom’s focaccia is not as thick and doughy as the focaccia I come across in sandwich shops.  It’s thinner and can be downright crispy depending on how long it’s left to bake.  It is also slathered in olive oil, kosher salt and rosemary and tastes delicious.  

Turns out, Socca is more of really, really flat, flatbread.  Mark Bittman went so far as to describe it as a pancake.  So, part of my issue was expectation.  A second issue might have been a merging of recipes.  I halved Neeta’s recipe from Neeta’s Healthy Plate but was referencing Mark Bittman’s.  They have similar measurements but the cooking temp and time are very different.

Here’s my version:

For the batter

1 cup chickpea flour

1 cup water

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Salt

I used another couple glugs of olive oil for the pan that was warmed in a 200 degree oven.  I then added some caramelized onions to the batter and cooked it for 15-20 minutes as directed by Neeta’s recipe.

And then I kept cooking it and cooking it because it never seemed finished and never got the crispy bottom that Mark Bittman mentioned in his recipe.  I’d cook, taste a piece and then cook another 5 minutes.  I did this 3-4 more times until I tired of it and decided the Socca was done. 

It was ok, nothing great. 

Neeta ‘s recipe said to cook for 15-20 minutes in a 200 degree oven.  Mark’s recipe called for 30-40 minutes in a 450 degree oven.  Otherwise the recipes are pretty similar.  They also both recommend that the batter “sit” which I skipped right over.

I have couple more cups of chickpea flour so I am going to attempt again. 

Next time:

Let the batter sit and use Mark’s recommended temp and times.

Skip the caramelized onions and use rosemary and salt.
Maybe use my Mom’s focaccia recipe.  I think it has yeast though which is a whole other world.

 Neeta’s recipe: http://www.neetashealthyplate.com/#!/2010/10/socca-with-caramalised-onions-zucchini.html

Mark’s recipe: http://content.markbittman.com/recipes/easy-whole-grain-flatbread